Garment-supporter.



GARMNT suPPoaTE;

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 22 1915.

1,263,225. Patented @1116, 19m

Gea/w RICHARD .'r. GEAR, or RCXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS. l

GAnMENT-SUPPCRTER.

Application filed January 22, 1916. SerialfNo. 73,656.

T0 all 'whom t may concern.'

' Be it known that I, RICHARD J. GEAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roxbury, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Garment-Supporters, of which the following is a specification. This invention relatesv to improvements in garment supporters and more particularly to belts therefor. s

The primary object of the invention is the provision of'adevice of the above stated character, wherein means are employed f or detachably connecting the belt to the waist line of a body garment for rendering the same partially invisible.

A further object of the invention is the provison of a device of the above stated character embodying a back strap andan auxiliary supporter having connection with the back strap for supporting the trousers solely from the hips when it is not desirable to tightensuch belt around the waistline of the wearer, and relieving the strain usually caused by the belt from the abdomen usually caused by hip supporting garments. With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features, details of construction and combination of parts which will hereinafter be more fully set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claims appended thereto.

Figure 1 is a view showing the application of my improved belt; y I

Fig. 2 is a plan view Aof the belt detached from the garment and illustrated in extended position; Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the belt supporting members; and

Fig. 4:' is a detail view showing a slight modification of the manner of connecting the belt around the waist line of the wearer in order that the belt will be solely invisible.

Referring more specically to the drawing, in which like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views; 5 denotes my improved belt consiting of a broadened elastic back strap 6 liaving attached to the opposite terminals thereof leather tabs 7. Slidably mounted upon the broadened elastic back strap 6 are belt slides 8 which are constructed from a single blank of sheet metal provided with parallel slots 9 presenting outer bars 10 and an intermediate bar 11. The upper end of these beltl slides has formed contiguous therewith an eyelet 12 constituting a rigid limb 13 and a pivoted limb 14 and the object of this eye-l gaged with he rear buttons 15 of the trousers 16. l In the application of th is eyelet with the rear buttons 15'it obvious that thepivoted limb 111 is moved in an outwardy direction until the eyelet is positioned around the buttons 15, after which the said limb is swung upwardlyand thereby preventing the downward movement of the back strap with respect to the trousers and permanently supporting the same in Aembracing relation with respect to the inner portion of the waist line of the trousers 16. The tabs 7 are formed with upper branch portions 17 and lower branch portions 18, .the upper branch portions 17 yof the tab has stitched thereto vor connectedtherewith in any preferred manner upper elastic web portions 19 in the form of a looped strap and adjustable through the medium of a buckle 20, that is to say, dueto the buckle 20 the web portions 19 may be s adjusted to various lengths in order to meet the dimensions 'required' toproperly lit around the waist line of the wearer. The free ends of these web portions 19 carry loops 21 whichconnect with such web portions belt lfastening straps 22. Thus far it will be seen that through the medium of the back strap 6, web portions 19 and the belt connecting straps 22, form a complete belt to encircle the waist line ofthe wearer and it is to be understood that due to the particular type of -belt fastening straps the belt may be properly adjusted around the waist as is common to trousers supporting belts. Slidably and adjustably mounted upon these web portions19 is a second set of belt slides 23 which are identical in construction with the belt slides 8 and are applied in the identical manner as described for the application of the belt slides S to the buttons 15 and the only difference existing is that the latter referred to belt slides, namely belt slides 23, are adapted to engage with the front buttons 24 and, of course, as is apparent from the drawing, these slides are smaller in size than the slides 8. These belt connecting straps 22, however, are adapted to extend through slits 25 formed in the front portion of the trousers in order to give the trousers the appearance of a belt supporting means. ln

order not to compel the wearer ofthe garment to have this encircling belt suiiciently tightened to prevent the sagging or bagging of the trousers, I have provided what mightbe termed as an auxiliary belt 26 comprising in addition to the back strap 6, lower elastic web portions 27, such portions having connection with the lower branches l18 of f the tabs 7 by stitching or otherwise connecting the same thereto and disposing the lower web portions atan angle with respect to the upper web portions 19. The lower web portions 27 in serving as an auxiliary belt are adapted to vengage over the hips of the wearer and fasten at thepit of the abdomen through the medium of the fasteners 28 and in order to prevent the auxiliary belt from havinga tendency to ride upwardly upon the hips ofthe wearer, I pass the same through loops 29 preferably attached to the inner face `of the trouserspockets 30. The lower elastic web portions 27 constituting the auxiliary belt are adjustable through the medium of the buckles 31. It may be found Vdesirable in the use of a garment supporter Vof the above stated character to conceal the belt entirely from view, and to this end instead of employing the belt fasteners 22, I remove such fasteners from the loops 21 andV substitute the type of fastener 32 as illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawing, and it is to be understood that the slot 33 of this fastener engages with the usual button at the adjacent portion of the front 4of the trousers.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawing, the advantages of construction and of the method ofv operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, and while I have described the principles of operation ofthe device together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown incassati is merely illustrative and that such alterations may be made when .desired as are within the vscope of the claims appended thereto.

I claim:

l. A garment supporting belt comprising a broadened back strap, tabs connected with the opposite ends of said back straps, each tab being provided with upper and lower branch portions, a web portion connected with the upper branch portion of `each tab and forming a continuation of the back strap to provide a waist encircling belt, a'djustable elastic straps connected'with the lowermost lbranch portions and disposed at an angleA with respectto the said web portions and retained against jupward move'- ment by the engagement ofthe same with portions of the garment, and a fastening device for connecting the free ends of theelastic straps at a point'atthe pit of the abdomen, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a. garment supporter of the character set forth, the combination with side pockets of the ,garment having loops, Iof a jbelt having connection with the inner waist line portion of the garment, vsaid belt comprising a back strap, a waist encircling belt connected with the opposite ends of said f strap, an angularly arranged auxiliaryD belt connected to the `back strapV at a point directly 'below the point of connection lof the first mentioned belt and `adapted to pass through the loops of the pockets for preventing anyupward movement of said auX- iliary belt, and means for fastening the free ends of the 'auxiliary belt at a point at the pit of the abdomen. i

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.v

RICHARD J. GEAR. lVitneses:

JOSEPH ROYLE,

MARTIN SHARKEY,

Gopies `of `this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the fcommissionero'f .Patents Washington, D. 0. 

